10 Nürburgring Facts Revealed

1. The Nürburgring was built to alleviate unemployment in the Eifel region of northwest Germany. From 1925 to 1927, some 25,000 persons were hired to construct the racetrack.

2. The man who spearheaded the job, Dr. Otto Creuz, a politician in the Eifel region, was later suspected by the Nazis of diverting funds; he eventually committed suicide.

3. The track cost 14.1 million reichsmarks to build, about $40 million in today’s money.

4.It originally consisted of the 14.2-mile Nordschleife and the 4.8-mile Südschleife. The Nordschleife has since been shortened to 12.9 miles. Parts of the Südschleife became the so-called Neue Nürburgring F1 track in the early 1980s.

5. The Nordschleife is a toll road open to the public. It’s closed only during testing events and races. A lap costs 23 euros (about $35). What you really didn’t know: German road regulations apply—there are some posted speed limits, and you can’t pass on the right.

6. The record for the fastest lap on the 12.9-mile track belongs to Stefan Bellof, who in 1983 drove a Porsche 956 around it in 6 minutes and 11.13 seconds, averaging 125.6 mph. In 1975, on the 14.2-mile track, F1 champ Niki Lauda lapped a Ferrari 312T in 6 minutes and 58.6 seconds, averaging 122 mph.

7. Nearly 1000 feet separate the highest and lowest points on the course.

8. The lap record for a production car belongs to Michael Vergers, who turned a 6:48 lap in a Radical SR8LM, a machine that pushes the term “production car” to comical extremes.

9. According to the official website, there are 33 left-hand bends, 40 to the right. Looking at a video of Jim Mero’s 7:26 lap in a Corvette ZR1, we count 87. Others count 100 turns.

10. The number of fatalities in its 83-year history is a source of contention. One source puts the toll at 73; others say that between two and 12 persons die every year. If you have an accident and damage the Armco barriers, you (or a non-dead relative of yours) will end up paying. And if your accident closes the track for an extended period, that’ll cost your estate, too.